The present disclosure, according to certain embodiments, relates to medical device tubes, e.g., tracheostomy tubes, used in medical applications, and more particularly, to tracheostomy tubes having flanges designed to fit on or near the neck of a patient.
This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present disclosure, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
A medical device tube may include an outer cannula (slender tube that may be inserted into a body cavity) attached to an outer cannula connector. In certain devices, the outer cannula connector and outer cannula are adapted for insertion of a disposable inner cannula. One example of a medical device tube is a tracheostomy tube. The tracheostomy tube may have a curved “L” shape and the outer cannula connector may be attached to a flange. The tracheostomy tube provides an artificial airway for access to the patient's airway for airway management. The tracheostomy tube is introduced into a tracheotomy incision (i.e., a stoma) in the patient's neck that provides access to the patient's trachea.
The inner cannula may be inserted into the outer cannula connector and outer cannula after the tracheostomy tube has been placed into the patient's trachea. The inner cannula typically includes a connector for quick removal of the inner cannula from the outer cannula. For example, the inner cannula connector may removably attach to the outer cannula connector, so that the inner cannula may be removed quickly if an obstruction (e.g., plug of mucus, sputum, etc.) is formed. For example, a snap connector may be used to attach the inner cannula to the outer cannula. A mechanical ventilator hose may be removably coupled to the inner cannula to assist the patient in breathing, or in instances where an inner cannula is not used, a ventilator hose may be removably coupled to the outer cannula connector.
In many designs, the tracheostomy tube may be secured to the patient's neck by the flange, which may be connected to a neck strap, thus securing the artificial airway for spontaneous or mechanical ventilation of the patient. After the tracheostomy tube is placed in the patient's stoma, the flange is placed against the patient's neck and the neck strap is threaded through tie holes at far ends of the flange. The flange extends on either side of the connector, in a generally wing-like arrangement, and is often made of flexible material (e.g., soft plastic or rubber), that allows it to conform somewhat to the neck. As such, the neck strap holds the flange in place against the patient's neck the entire time the device is in place for ventilation. However, in known designs, the neck strap tends to hold the far edges of the flange against the patient's neck, or alternatively the far edges of the flange tend to hold the strap against the patient's neck in the area under the far edge of the flange, causing friction and irritation of the patient's skin due to movement and contact of the far edges of the flange and the neck strap.